Raab stokes talk of a party leadership bid

DOMINIC RAAB yesterday fuelled speculation of a leadership bid by talking up his patriotism in what appeared to be a direct pitch to Tory MPS.

Although the former Brexit secretary said on The Andrew Marr Show that he would not entertain questions about whether he would put his name forward if Theresa May lost a vote of no confidence, he did not rule himself out.

If a leadership contest does ensue, Mr Raab is expected to be one of four Brexiteers jostling for the endorsement of the Eurosceptic wing of the party.

He will almost certainly need to fight off bids from Boris Johnson, David Davis and Penny Mordaunt and could present himself as a unity Eurosceptic candidate, arguing that Mr Davis is tainted by his spell as Brexit secretary and that Mr Johnson risks dividing MPS, allowing in a Europhile candidate.

At 44, Mr Raab could also argue he could reinvigorate the party by appealing to younger voters. Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, and Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, believe they can bridge the divide between Leavers and Remainers as both voted Remain before throwing their weight behind Brexit following the referendum.

Ms Rudd is the most Europhile of the would-be candidates, which will count against her with many backbenchers. However, she is also one of the party’s strongest communicators and might be preferred by those looking beyond Brexit to the next election in 2022.

Geoffrey Cox, the Attorney General, who voted Leave, has also taken soundings among colleagues.

Mr Raab insisted he would back the Prime Minister but he was quick to distance himself from Mr Johnson. And while Mrs May yesterday chose to be interviewed on Sky News, Mr Raab took prime slot on the BBC’S politics show, using it to set out his credentials. He said he quit the Cabinet as he could not sign a deal that would put “the country I love” at the mercy of the EU. He said there was still time to get a better deal. The favourite among many bookmakers to be the next Tory leader, said talk of a no-confidence vote in Mrs May distracted from what was needed to get Brexit “over the line”.

Asked if he would stand in a leadership contest, he said: “I’m not even getting sucked into that.” He added: “I’m supporting this Prime Minister. I will not be supporting anyone who is sending in letters to the 1922 Committee.”

When Andrew Marr referred to Boris Johnson as an ally of Mr Raab, the former minister said: “He’s a friend and a good colleague, but he’s not any ally.” Using the show’s platform to say he could achieve a better Brexit if he had the chance, he said: “I couldn’t, in good faith … sign this country, the country I love, up to that deal. He added: “I do think we’re being bullied [by the EU]. We’re being subject to what is pretty close to blackmail, frankly, and I think there is a point where we just say: ‘I’m sorry, this is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, we cannot accept those dictator terms’.”

Mr Raab said he would vote against the Withdrawal Agreement in its current form as it “absolutely” threatened the Union, adding that it had no chance of passing through Parliament.

♦ Iain Duncan Smith, the former party leader, last night called for the sacking of a government official who referred to Dominic Raab as a “suicide bomber”, demanding No 10 identify and dismiss whoever told a Sunday newspaper: “We always called him suicide bomber and said David Davis was his controller.”